Canada's Ugly Secret

[Papewaio]

As I said, I knew about this, none of this is news to me - and in fact Greyblades is correct, the article is very low on substance and entirely on the side of the First Nations (they are aboriginal and it's incorrect to refer to them as such,).

The presentation makes it sound like this is all some big shock, but I knew all about it - it was common knowledge enough that it affected British political policy thirty years ago, and that has always been a matter of public record because the reservations were expressed by MP's in the House.

The abuse was systematic (also a matter of record) it was designed to break the children so they could be re-educated.

As to the Church part - epic meh when the BBC protected its own paedophile ring for decades.

They are referred to as aboriginal because it is a broader and includes First Nation and other groups such as Inuit.

Also I do not think that the BBC protecting paedophiles should either filter our news or give other organizations a free pass. Might as well say that because Apartheid existed in South Africa other countries can do it as well.

The presentation is the difference between hearsay and official recognition. There is miles between gossip, innuendo and a factual recounting of events. Proper data and record keeping is not a bad thing.

[rvg]

The presentation is the difference between hearsay and official recognition. There is miles between gossip, innuendo and a factual recounting of events. Proper data and record keeping is not a bad thing.

The best part is how everything is blamed on that, from alcohol abuse, to high unemployment, to lack of education. As if those dirty Catholics poured firewater down each kid's throat.

[Papewaio]

The best part is how everything is blamed on that, from alcohol abuse, to high unemployment, to lack of education. As if those dirty Catholics poured firewater down each kid's throat.

Don't know about you but I'd prefer firewater to having a salty aftertaste...

[rory_20_uk]

I wish white people would stop inflicting such suffering on all these peaceful individuals who until we got there lived in harmony with each other.

I fell guilty that I don't feel guilty about these events that occurred on a different continent decades ago.

[lars573]

Maybe these things are just not known in the former Colonies?

That makes a sort of sense, if your entire country and way of life works because you did a mass genocide you wouldn't talk about it unless you want your country to have a collective psychotic break.

I'm Canadian (33 for another month), and I first heard about all this when I was a teen. When the first nations began seeking some form of redress for what happened in residential schools.

The best part is how everything is blamed on that, from alcohol abuse, to high unemployment, to lack of education. As if those dirty Catholics poured firewater down each kid's throat.

Actually you can draw a line from residential schools and high unemployment* to the substance abuse and other social problems that are endemic on first nation reserves.




*The unemployment thing can be caused as much by geography as anything, if you look at a map of where a lot of reserves are.

[HopAlongBunny]

Well, this is part of "getting over it and moving on"
The fact is Canadians blithely ignore the position of Native cultures in our history, and in future development.
Fortunately, the history and its effect on the present is becoming much more clear.
The Commission (http://www.trc.ca/websites/trcinstitution/index.php?p=9) is helping us come to grips with the present social realities.
The Supreme Court has upheld treaty undertakings as legally binding (no surprise) and has upheld Native claims to land the Crown wished to assert authority over.
Dealing with the past is crucial to Canada's future.

[Greyblades]

No, not really.

Iirc It was long ago enough that a most of the main perpritrators are dead or close to and the sufferers are insignificant numerically; The natives being less than 5% of the Canadian population. The need to deal with this wont ever become significant enough to force Canada to do anything, it could easily go it's entire remaining existence without being forced to shed a tear.

[Noncommunist]

No, not really.

Iirc It was long ago enough that a most of the main perpritrators are dead or close to and the sufferers are insignificant numerically; The natives being less than 5% of the Canadian population. The need to deal with this wont ever become significant enough to force Canada to do anything, it could easily go it's entire remaining existence without being forced to shed a tear.

So the more successful the genocide, the more it's victims should get over it?

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

So the more successful the genocide, the more it's victims should get over it?

Absolutely not - but if it's been half a century then the punishment you mete out in retribution falls on innocent shoulders. A good example of this is reparations for slavery, something the UK has always refused. The UK government COULD give Africans and Afro-Carribeans in the US and the Carribean individual cash payments as compensation, in a legal sense, but that money would come from UK tax payers. You're be stripping the UK budget and directly punishing the most vulnerable in the UK for an atrocity that was perpetrated before they were born.

You rest of you remember Megas Methusaleh, yes?

He was full of hatred for "Euro's" and he blamed the problems of his people on the white man more or less exclusively. He was a relatively enlightened and well educated example of his people, though still young.

The First Nations' collective poverty is self-inflicted. By remaining on the reservations and not fully integrating into Canadian society they limit their economic options and those of their children. What they SHOULD do is demand the reservations be legally integrated into Canada proper, then when they are audited in the next Census the Canadian government would be forced to allocate resources on the basis of need, and their extreme poverty would guarantee the lion's share of tax and welfare.

In fact, this was the point of the residential schools - as horrible as they were they were intended to integrate the First Nations people into Canadian society. The difference between then and now if that then "Canadian" society was seen as homogeneous and now it is seen as multi-cultural.

Of course, it won't happen because the elders of the First Nations are weak and over proud - they would rather condemn their people to continued suffering than acknowledge the world has changed.

[Greyblades]

We could also present the bill for sending the royal navy to forcibly end the slave trade and the wealth we gave up freeing our own slaves without a fight, plus all that infrastructure and education the locals now benefit from.
If we're going to start demanding the unagreed debts of the dead be paid by the living we might as well be fair and not only favour the non whites.
Or we could just find what perpritrators still live and let the courts decide what's to be done with them, leave the majority who had nothing to do with it alone.

So the more successful the genocide, the more it's victims should get over it?

Way to willfuly misinterpret there, skippy.

[rvg]

Actually you can draw a line from residential schools and high unemployment* to the substance abuse and other social problems that are endemic on first nation reserves.

*The unemployment thing can be caused as much by geography as anything, if you look at a map of where a lot of reserves are.

The world only needs so many hunters, trappers, whalers and reindeer herders. The rest will either have to adopt the ways of the palefaces or drink themselves into oblivion. Adapt or perish.

[a completely inoffensive name]

The world only needs so many hunters, trappers, whalers and reindeer herders. The rest will either have to adopt the ways of the palefaces or drink themselves into oblivion. Adapt or perish.

So much of what you say can be said in a less crude way.

[Greyblades]

I'd take that as a good sign when all the only criticism is so superficial.

[a completely inoffensive name]

I'd take that as a good sign when all the only criticism is so superficial.

Your country voted Tory because Ed Miliband ate a sandwich.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

They are referred to as aboriginal because it is a broader and includes First Nation and other groups such as Inuit.

They're referred to as Aboriginal because it's a very narrow term that should only be applied to the first immigrants to a new land - the original human inhabitants.

The First Nations perpetrated cultural genocide of the American Aboriginals.

Also I do not think that the BBC protecting paedophiles should either filter our news or give other organizations a free pass. Might as well say that because Apartheid existed in South Africa other countries can do it as well.

No, more like because everybody in the Colonies abused the natives nobody should be made to suffer for it now. Germans are not expected to feel guilty for the Holocaust now (at least not by most people) and Canadians should not be forced to feel bad about the policy of forced integration.

The presentation is the difference between hearsay and official recognition. There is miles between gossip, innuendo and a factual recounting of events. Proper data and record keeping is not a bad thing.

Except these records were never hidden or sealed, and this was widely known about - if it was discussed in the British Parliament as a reason to deny Canada full self-government then it's not "hearsay" or "innuendo".

[Greyblades]

It is the height of unfairness to blame, shame or even punish someone for the actions of those over which he has no control, whether they share a race sex or nation.

Alas it's also a ubiquitous human impulse that few if any are innocent of acting upon.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Well, the last First Nation representative we had here was extremely racist and saw all white people as a big group of "Euros" as though we were all the same.